West Notes: Nuggets, Russell Westbrook, Clippers, Jazz, Lauri Markkanen

Nuggets

Now that the Nuggets landed Russell Westbrook, there’s highly likely no chance they also sign Tyus Jones, as explained by Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Jones, who started for the Wizards last season, is widely considered the best remaining point guard on the market.

“There was discussions of Russell Westbrook being the outgoing piece in whatever sign-and-trade machinations do come about, and then the Jazz would have waived him,” Fischer said. “That conversation was happening like day two of free agency, so don’t know what the exact holdups are to be honest.

“… (There are) still plenty of interesting point guards available in the market, most notably Tyus Jones. I think he’s looking for much more than what Denver will be able to provide, and you’ve got some interesting potential minimum guys like Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Smith Jr. I mean Markelle Fultz is still out there, so I’m not saying that I know of any potential connections there between those guys and Denver, I’m just saying the backup point guard market still seems to be quite rich in terms of optionality, so I if I was a Nuggets fan I would be feeling decent about it.”

• Star center Nikola Jokic helped the Nuggets to land Westbrook, signing off on the trade with the Clippers. Basically, it appeared Jokic really wanted Westbrook once it became clear Westbrook was available. We have the full post here.
• The Nuggets have nothing to lose in signing Westbrook. It’s worth a shot, right? We have that full story here.
• Denver is signing ex-Stanford forward Spencer Joneson a two-way contract, per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “The 6-foot-7 forward shot 39.7% from 3 across a five-year college career,” Durando noted. “Denver likes his combination of size, skill and shooting.”

Clippers

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer suggested the new collective bargaining agreement played a role in the team’s decision not to retain Paul George, now of the 76ers.

 “He wanted to go and I respect him for that,” Ballmer said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Basketball players don’t have that many years in their lives to really make money, etc. I wish he was here and I wish him well. We got a lot of great players we added that we wouldn’t have been able to add otherwise. So I’m happy about that too.”

• The Clippers, via trade and free agency, added Derrick Jones Jr., Nic Batum, Kevin Porter Jr., Kris Dunn and Mo Bamba this offseason. Dunn arrived via the Westbrook trade with the Jazz. So they will try to get it done by committee.
• Ballmer, for one, seems to like their chances. “I think we’re going to be a very, very good team,” he said, via Youngmisuk. “We’re going to contend, we’ll see how far it takes us. There’s a lot of good teams in the West, let alone you’ve got the Celtics, etc. in the East. But there’s a lot of good teams. I think we are one of them and if we stay healthy, if we play well, I think every team’s got to get a little bit of luck.”
• He mentioned the Mavericks as a blueprint. “Our two guys at the top are pretty good and I’ll take our guys that we flank around them. Just take a look at Dallas,” he said. “They rode the backs of two great players and a bunch of other very, very good players and we certainly have that.”

Jazz

The Jazz and Lauri Markkanen are likely to get some closure soon on his future in Utah, per Kevin Pelton of ESPN.

“All eyes are on Utah through Aug. 6, the first day the Jazz can renegotiate Lauri Markkanen’s contract in conjunction with a long-term extension,” Pelton wrote. “It is also the last day Utah can make that move and have Markkanen be trade-eligible at the deadline. As a result, consider that date the deadline for a decision on a possible Markkanen trade.”

In the off chance Markkanen is dealt, yes, you can be sure it will involve draft picks.

“If the Jazz don’t use the bulk of their $35 million in cap space on renegotiating Markkanen’s contract, they suddenly become the prime destination for teams looking to shed salary, which could net Utah even more draft picks,” Pelton wrote.

• The Jazz still have to spend around $18 million to get to the NBA salary floor, as we relayed here.
• Utah’s trade with the Clippers centered on Dunn and Westbrook is official, the team announced in a press release.